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Airstrikes kill three al-Qaida militants in Yemen’s Abyan: official

30 July 2011 00:33 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Yemeni warplanes launched air raids on al-Qaida hideouts in southern volatile province of Abyan on Friday, killing at least three terrorists and mistakenly killed an officer and around 10 armed tribesmen who are supporters of the government army, a security official in Aden told Xinhua, APA reports siting Xinhua.

The official, requesting anonymity, said the air raids were carried out on Friday afternoon in Koud area nearby al-Qaida- seized Zinjibar, the provincial capital city of Abyan, killing three al-Qaida militants and injuring five others.

Ground battles against the terrorist group continued around Zinjibar and in the coastal area of Dovis by the government 25 Mechanized Army Brigade backed by armed tribesmen, who came from several regions of Abyan to join the government forces.

"The jet fighters mistakenly stroke a group of the army-backers armed tribesmen and soldiers in Hassan Valley about three km southeast of Zinjibar, killing at least 10 tribesmen and lieutenant colonel Haidara Ali and injuring scores from both sides, " the official said.

"The militants of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), however, managed to control several regions around Zinjibar in Sheikh Salim area and Hassan Valley, as the Yemeni intelligence units are facing troubles in tracing AQAP’s movement because the terrorists have long time stopped using cellphones," he added without elaborating further.

Abyan, some 480 km south to the capital Sanaa, is a key stronghold of the AQAP. The Yemeni government has intensified battles against the terrorist group and used warplanes trying to destroy al-Qaida’s main hideouts in the restive province since the group took over Zinjibar late in May.